We’ve all got the cheese out of the fridge at some point or other and wondered about whether we can simply cut that bit of mould off or whether it should go straight in the bin.
Of course some cheese is supposed to be mouldy and it is the mould that provides some of the flavour. Others though are definitely better without the fur!
Cream cheeses
Bin it! Mould on your cream cheese is not a good thing. This includes cheeses like cottage cheese and soft cheese like ricotta. Once they have started to go mouldy the mould can spread and the cheese could be harbouring nasty bacteria so definitely not something you want to take a risk with!
Blue and other mouldy cheeses
With cheeses such as stilton, gorgonzola, Danish blue, brie and camembert the mould is part of the cheeses and contributes to its character, flavour and texture.
Hard, block cheese
With hard cheeses such as cheddar, Swiss cheese, parmesan it is ok to eat cheese which has started to go mouldy. With hard cheeses because they are dry the mould can’t penetrate far in to the cheese so it should be safe once the mouldy area has been cut off. Ensure you remove at least half an inch around and below the area of mould. Take care to clean the knife in between to make sure you don’t contaminate other areas of the cheese. It the cheese isn’t being eaten straight away ensure any old packaging is removed and the cheese is wrapped in clean, fresh packaging to avoid the mould returning straight away.
Grated or shredded cheeses
With cheese which has been grated, shredded or sliced (even if it was previously a block cheese) it should be thrown away as soon as any sign of mould appears.
If you are unsure then always err on the side of caution and obviously discard any cheese ( or other food stuffs) which you think could pose a health risk!